Consultation opens on 20-year plan for central Birmingham

Birmingham City Council has launched a public consultation on a new 20-year vision for the centre of the city, which aims to spread the benefits of investment into the inner-city neighbourhoods around it.

Our Future City Plan: Central Birmingham 2040 was launched on 26 January at an online event hosted by the property magazine Estates Gazette. The consultation runs until 26 March.

What the plan is about

The strategy focuses on creating places designed around people, opportunities for growth in new green industries, better health and wellbeing through access to green spaces, and making walking and cycling easier, safer and more attractive.

A key aim is to strengthen the links between the city centre and the inner-city areas that surround it, such as Aston, Nechells, Balsall Heath, Small Heath and Sparkbrook.

The plan will eventually replace the Big City Plan, the city centre masterplan launched in 2010. The council says the pandemic, along with wider environmental, social and economic challenges, has prompted the new approach.

"A major change"

Council leader Ian Ward said investment in the city centre over the last 30 years had brought jobs, homes, better transport, new cultural attractions and educational opportunities.

"With the opportunities of HS2, expansion of the Midland Metro and the Commonwealth Games on the horizon, the city will continue to be a major regional, national hub and centre for international investment," he said.

"This plan marks a major change from previous approaches to the city centre, with a clear intention to spread the benefits of development and investment into inner city areas, supporting access to infrastructure, jobs and improved public spaces."

Ian Macleod, the council's acting director of inclusive growth, said the consultation was the start of a continuous conversation about transforming central Birmingham "into a green, prosperous and fair place".

Who took part

The launch included a panel discussion featuring Philippa Gill of the sustainability consultancy Evora Global, Tony Brooks of the build-to-rent developer Moda Living, Sara Wajid, chief executive of Birmingham Museums Trust, and Michael Davies of the property firm Savills.

A city centre transformed

The Big City Plan set out a vision to grow the city centre by more than a quarter over 25 years, and much has changed since it was launched. New Street station has been rebuilt, the Library of Birmingham has opened, trams now run through the heart of the city, and major developments at Paradise, Arena Central and Snow Hill have reshaped the skyline.

But the benefits have not always reached the neighbourhoods just beyond the ring road, some of which are among the most deprived in the country. The new plan's focus on those areas reflects a growing view that the next phase of growth needs to reach more people.

Have your say

The council wants to hear from as wide a range of people as possible, from individuals and community groups to businesses and organisations. Because of the pandemic, most of the engagement will take place online, with details of virtual events to follow.

The feedback will shape a draft framework for Central Birmingham 2040, due to be published for further consultation in the autumn.